(Closed) Destination Wedding in Scotland–step by step?

Hi all! My fiance and I have decided to combine our ceremony/honeymoon into one big trip. It will just be the two of us–no one else. So, we want to get married at a darling venue in Scotland. Has anyone from the US gotten married in Scotland? If so, can you walk me through the legal/paperwork step by step? I’m doing lots of research, but it would be helpful to find out more from someone who’s actually gone through it.

@Glasgowbound: Right, I have looked through all this and am aware of the documents I need. I just wanted someone who’s gone through it to actually lay it all out on the table step by step. Where did they start? How long did it take? Were there any snags? What about the certificate of no impediment, which the US doesn’t actually issue?

It was actually really easy. Filled out the paperwork, mailed it in. Make sure you call the registrars office and book your date/officiant As soon as you can. It didn’t take long. The paperwork was really a formality. I called and booked, then sent in paperwork. you just have to tell them the US doesn’t issue a certificate of no impediment And that’s all they need

@Glasgowbound: They didn’t make you submit any other documentation in place of the Certificate of No Impediment? That’s awesome! Now, is that the case for any registrar in Scotland or do you think it might vary between offices?

@foxhoundqueen: The laws about marriage in Scotland relate to Scotland in its entirety so there are no variations from county to county. We don’t have the same federal/state law split in the UK as exists in the USA.

@Steampunkbride: Right. Because there’s no split, we would be required to obtain the UK’s visas in order to legally marry in their countries. There’s a whole bunch of documentation we have to provide to get those visas.

@foxhoundqueen: I’m not sure that you’ll require any special visas if you are merely visiting Scotland to get married. In other words, you are travelling as tourists and without any intention of establishing residence in the UK.

For full details on the requirements and procedures for getting married in Scotland, you should contact the British Embassy in Washington D.C. or the British Consulate closest to you. The U.S. Government does not issue “Certificates of No Impediment to Marriage”. Local marriage registrars are aware of this and generally waive the requirement for Americans. “

@Steampunkbride: I e-mailed the registrar in the county in Scotland in which we want to get married. He did confirm that we won’t need the CONI, and also said we most likely do need visas. On the UK Border Agency website, it makes it pretty clear that, if neither party is a citizen of the UK, then visas are required.

@foxhoundqueen: I did have to get a marriage visa since I was marrying a British citizen. The visa was a ROYAL PAIN IN THE ASS!!! Yours may be different since you aren’t marrying a UK citizen, but research the hell out of the requirements. And you can’t apply before 3 months before the wedding date which makes it stressful 🙂

Here is the link to the visa page. on the right side is a PDF of the supporting documents you need to submit. You need to submit everything you can from pages one and two, plus the stuff under the marriage visitor section. I had to submit all that – it was a very think submission packet 🙂

Gosh! From reading that link I’ve realised that it’s much harder for US citizens to get into the UK than it is for me to visit the US. I have an ESTA which lasts for a couple of years, cost about $14 which I applied for online from your Homeland Security peeps. No supporting documentation was required.

So far as your plans are concerned, OP, I would warn that our Border Agency staff are not particularly nice people. So if your paperwork isn’t 100% ticketyboo, you could easily be put straight back on a plane.

I have an American DIL who, despite having a valid 6-month tourist visa was once nearly denied access back into the UK because she couldn’t remember, down to the last pound, exactly what my son earned in a year. They’d only left the UK for 10 days to have a holiday in Slovenia! Things are a little easier now they are married but the whole fiance and subsequent work visa process was heavy going and cost a huge amount.

I’d hate to rain on your wedding parade but if you aren’t marrying a UK citizen or have a particularly good reason to marry in Scotland you might well find the whole process outweighs any benefits. No matter how darling a venue you have!